Late Night
by BladesofTwilight
Summary: "Someone's playing dirty, and it can't be good for ole Jack. I… I can't just sit here and let someone ruin the circus's name." - Robin-centric, 'Performance'-Based, DaddyBats


**Well, I haven't submitted any writing in a long time. I've been so busy, I haven't had a chance to write.**

**Since Arkham City came out, my love for Batman has resurfaced, and Young Justice dragged me in. Hard. Especially since Dick Grayson has always been my favorite.  
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**"Performance" was a Robin-centric episode, and this is just what I thought went on before the Team went out to Europe. I had the episode playing about five times while writing this. lol  
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**Disclaimer - I don't own Young Justice, its characters, or plot. These are property of DC.**

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Robin's hands glided over the keys of the BatComputer as he leaned closer to the screen, opening news articles and trying to translate what he could. The sound of the elevator and its doors opening came from a distance behind him, but he paid no mind to it and continued his research.

"Dick." Bruce's voice rang through the cave, rough and not the least bit pleased.

Robin continued to be engrossed in his reading, pulling up a map and criminal databases from Europe. His hands momentarily stopped clicking the keys as he brought up the holo-screen on his wrist computer for the notes he had previously put in there.

Bruce scowled a little at his son's indifference. He pushed up the sleeve of his suit jacket and checked his watch as he walked across the platform to the BatComputer. It was three in the morning. He may have still been in his Robin costume, but that didn't mean Dick Grayson didn't have school in the morning. He tapped him on the shoulder, earning a small jump from the boy.

"Dick, it's three o'clock in the morning. Why aren't you in bed?"

"Doing research." Two words. That's all he was willing to give Bruce while he was reading. He pulled the USB cord from his glove and plugged it into the computer port, transferring files between the two.

The billionaire couldn't help but sigh and look over Robin's shoulder as he did so. As he skimmed the open windows, his displeased expression faded into a look of concern.

"Haly's…?" He was a bit hesitant as he read the name in the headline of a news article, _'Haly's International Traveling Circus – European Tour Begins'_.

As soon as Bruce opened his mouth, Robin's hands stopped moving and his lips pressed into a tight line. "Yeah." His voice was low and almost pained. His father quickly picked up on this.

"What are you looking into?"

He sighed, bringing the map to the front of the other windows. Several countries had red dots on them, connected by lines that were now heading toward Bruges, Belgium. "A number of pieces of tech have gone missing from various places around Europe. Madrid, Paris, Naples—all of them on them have been hit, and all of them were stops on Haly's current European Tour."

"And you think someone with the circus is involved in the thefts." Bruce turned toward the screen, his arms crossed.

"Right." Robin nodded, pulling off his mask and rubbing his eyes. "Someone's playing dirty, and it can't be good for ole Jack. I… I can't just sit here and let someone ruin the circus's name."

"Dick, I know what this means to you, but how long have you been doing this?" He glanced down at the boy.

"I don't know… five… six hours? Whenever you left for that party." Bruce had left for a charity event at seven—that meant his son was at work for eight hours. And that was assuming the boy was too determined to even take a break. "I want to go. I want to help clear Jack of any suspicion. I know this isn't his fault."

He knew the feeling Robin had. He wanted to protect what made him who he was. And he wasn't about to stop that. But he also knew how deep the circus ran into him. When he took him in, when he wasn't relapsing into tears or secluding himself in his room, he would find him all over the manor—bounding off walls around corners, back flips off the porch, balancing on the garden walls—anything that kept him on his feet and gave him the chance to use his acrobat skills.

If anything happened, he didn't want him left on his own. He trusted his ability if it came down to just a one thief or a pair, but he didn't know if this was something larger. For all he knew, it could be an entire act full of people involved. Even worse, it could've been someone with more power than normal performers, based on what he saw went missing. The components weren't just things normal thieves would try and steal.

"I won't let you. Not by yourself."

Robin grimaced—he was afraid he would get that answer. He had already told Wally his story, but he was the only one. Super speed wasn't something that could be easily showcased at the circus though. That, and he was worried that Wally would be too concerned on making sure he was okay to get the job done right. It had to be perfect. They had to have a flawless act to keep their cover, and he was the only one with experience in the spotlight. Bringing others would mean he would have to plan out an entire act and make sure everyone did their job right. Though, he figured if he went on his own that he wouldn't be able to have an act on his own, and it would be harder to get close to the other performers.

"…Alright. I'll make a group from the Team." He brought up the bios on each of the other members, ready to evaluate their individual abilities to determine who would be suited for the job.

The chair Robin was in was spun around, unhooking his glove from the computer. "Hey—Bruce—! I'm not done!"

"Yes, you are; for tonight at least. Last time I checked, robins aren't nocturnal."

Robin was so focused on his research; he hadn't even realized he was tired. The moment he didn't have his hands on the keyboard and stopped working for a second, he felt a rush of exhaustion hit him. He yawned as he cradled his head in one hand.

"See?" Bruce smiled a bit, extending his hand to Robin.

"But Bruce, you do this all the time… I'll manage." Was that a pout?

"Yes, but I'm not a thirteen year-old who has to wake up in three hours."

Robin decided he was too tired to continue; Bruce was right, but he didn't even want to get up from the chair. He was picked up into his father's arms, groaning in slight protest.

"C'mon. Let's get you changed and in bed. Maybe Alfred will even make your favorite pancakes in the morning."

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**So, there you go. A little DaddyBats put in for good measure [and because I think their father/son dynamics are just so adorable].**

**I know Naples wasn't mentioned by Robin in the episode, but it was marked on the map he brought up. I thought it was initially Rome, but it was a little lower on the map then where Rome is. Just my own thought.**

**Hope you enjoyed - please don't forget to R&R!  
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